Bon Scott Statue Unveiled in Scottish Hometown

After years of hard work, a statue in memory of AC/DC singer Bon Scott was unveiled in Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland earlier this week. The statue was erected in time for this weekend's BonFest, an annual celebration of his life.

The Courier reports that the eight-foot statue weighs 450 kilograms (nearly 1,000 pounds) and forms the center of a memorial garden. As he did in the video for "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)," Scott is wearing a sleeveless denim jacket with a striped shirt,, raising one arm high and holding bagpipes. It stands atop a mosaic with Scott's lyrics, "And the music was good and the music was loud, and the singer turned to the crowd and said ‘Let there be rock’.”

Former AC/DC bassist Mark Evans, who is participating in BonFest, was at the ceremony. "t’s magical," he said. "Bon was a great pal and it’s just great to be in the place where he came from. The statue has captured his essence, right down to his tattoos. Bon would have been turning 70 this year — I was just 19 when I joined the band — he was ten years older but you couldn’t help but like the guy. He was a hell raiser but there was another side to him and he never forgot his Scottish roots. He’d have been absolutely chuffed to have a statue in Kirriemuir.”

Although AC/DC are associated with Australia, Scott was born in Kirriemuir, but his family moved to Australia when he was six. John Crawford, the chairman of BonFest, hopes that this will shed some light on the origins of the town's native son.

“It’s amazing how many people don’t know that Bon Scott came from Kirriemuir," he said. "People know about [Peter Pan creator] J.M. Barrie and Peter Pan, but they are both famous sons of the town and there is room for them both."

Back in 2012, it was reported that a group of local citizens were trying to raise the money necessary to have the statue built. It was eventually funded, with fans from 32 countries contributing £45,000 (approximately $65,000). Sculptor John McKenna spent three years on the statue.

"I’m proud of the results," he said, "and the response just shows the popularity of the man and the band. He was an icon of his age. Now he has his own special corner in Kirriemuir.”